Hello everybody!  I found a mail in the yesterdays list that makes me
think somebody is wanting to take ferrets to Mexico ( sorry but I haven't
been reading my mails in the past days due to lack of time).  I hope
Shirley can help you with the information and experience she has about
taking ferrets to Central America.  I would like to tell you how difficult
was for me, to take Gigio my ferret, out of Mexico and how difficult is
going to be to take him back.  Originally I was told (3 months before I
travelling to USA) that I only needed a helath certificate from my vet and
current vaccinations, but one month before my trip I decided to ask again
(at the animal department in the airport of Mexico city, where I had
already asked before) and this time I was told something different, that
because ferrets in Mexico are considered "wild fauna" and in consequence a
protected species (go figure, ferrets are not even mexican fauna) I needed
to do a long list of things before getting permission to take my ferret
with me.  I had to go to the Secretary of Ecology to register my "wild
animal" as a pet and I had to bring photos of me, photos of Gigio,
original purchase ticket, veterinary report, fill forms.... One week
later people from that secretary came to home to visit and inspect the
place where I keep the "wild animal" and they ask 50 or more questions
about the health of Gigio, what do I feed him etc... after an other week I
picked up my official certificate of ownership.  With that paper I had to
go to the Secretary of Agriculture and initiate tramits to get a
zoosanitary certificate which is nothing else but a health certificaty
expedited by an official institution instead of a particular veterinary.
Again I had to bring health certificates (no more than 3 days old!),
vaccination record... One week later I came back to pick up the
certificate ( not to mention that I almost not get it because my vet
wrote down in one form that Gigio is a siames color instead of sable
color).  With that certificate I had to go to an other branch of the
Secretary of Ecology to pay for an "Exportation certificate" .  Just
imagine that Gigio is a Marshal farms ferret from NY and now I had to pay
for an exportation certificate as if he were raised in Mexico.  I payed
something like $35 dolars (which can not be directly payed in the
Secretary, you have to go to the bank first and fill a special form, the
bank stamp it and you hand it at the Secretary).  By the time all my
papers for Gigio were complete it was just one or two days before my
departure.  WEW!!!!  At the airport I still had to pay some other things
besides the plane ticket for Gigio, but that is an other story... Anyway,
when I will finish my research in the USA I will have to do a similar
procedure to get Gigio back to Mexico, in fact after 6 months (and every
6 months for ever in the life of Gigio) I have to send by fax a veterinary
report that states the general health of Gigio in order to keep my
original certificate of ownership of "wild fauna".  I was told that when I
will come back I will have to pay for an "Importation certificate" and so
on.... My parents in Mexico will initiate all the paper work a couple of
months before I'll go back.  I hope that for foreigners things are easier
than for nationals.  I wanted to share this information with you, I hope
it will helps.
 
Best regards,
Cathie and Gigio
[Posted in FML issue 3623]